Report: One Reason LeBron James Joined Lakers Is He Appreciated Standard Of Care They Showed Kobe Bryant At End Of His Career

According to NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, one reason LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers is he appreciated the standard of care they showed Kobe Bryant at the end of his career. 

LeBron liked playing for an iconic franchise as much as he liked how it treated its iconic players.

The leading scorer in NBA history, LeBron joined the Lakers in 2018. Los Angeles missed the playoffs in Year 1, won the championship in Year 2, lost in the first round of the playoffs in Year 3, missed the playoffs in Year 4, lost in the Western Conference Finals in Year 5 and lost in the first round of the playoffs in Year 6. 

The Lakers have signed LeBron to four contracts, the most recent of which was a two-year, $101 million deal. 

LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks for the Lakers last season in 71 games while shooting 54.0% from the field, 41.0% from 3 and 75.0% from the free-throw line. He’s still an elite force despite being close to 40. 

A future Hall of Famer, LeBron has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers. He’s a four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time Finals MVP.

LeBron, who grew up idolizing Michael Jordan, is first in NBA history in points, fourth in assists, eighth in steals, second in field goals, eighth in 3-point field goals, fifth in triple-doubles, seventh in points per game and third in player efficiency rating.

LeBron is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists, the only player to win three Finals MVPs with three different teams, the only player with 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists and the only player to score 40,000 points.

The Lakers won the 2020 title against the Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble behind LeBron.